The Long Weekend
by AnonymousNerd
Summary: Bella stays with the Cullens over a long weekend and a massive snowstorm hits Forks. Fun ensues. All Cullen couples are represented.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the storyline. "Winter Wonderland" is also not mine.

A/N: Some characters may be a little OOC at times. The time frame is the winter during New Moon, but is thoroughly ignoring the storyline of New Moon. For the purposes of this story, Bella and Edward are engaged. Jacob and the wolves will not exist in this story.

Winter had come to Forks. It had come in roaring like a lion, with bitterly cold winds, freezing temperatures and surprisingly dry weather. Most of the vegetation had died off with the first few frosts in November. Maybe Mother Nature heard me when I had insisted that it was too green here. Now the only things still green were the spruce, pines and other evergreens.

On the drive to school every morning, the heater in my truck was getting a workout. Luckily it still worked. The radio reception was sketchy, it wouldn't go faster than 55 miles per hour and the defroster was kaput, but the heater was fully functional. Small miracles happen every day, right?

Speaking of small miracles, I thought to myself as I pulled into the school's parking lot, Edward was waiting for me next to his car. He grinned when he saw that I had spotted him, no doubt he had heard my truck coming at least five minutes ago. I grinned back and waved before pulling into the parking spot next to him. Anticipating the cold outside the comfort of the cab of my truck, I wound a thick woolen scarf around my neck and the lower part of my face, then pulled on a toboggan and my extra thick gloves. Edward was at my door, opening it for me as soon as I finished bundling up. He planted a quick soft kiss on my forehead, one of the small areas of skin still exposed.

"Morning, love. Are you as cold as you look?" His eyes danced with merriment as he spoke, fully aware that I was only so bundled up so that I could stay close to him while we were outdoors. "I'll take advantage of your wool-induced silence to tell you that Alice has a surprise planned for you and the long weekend."

I was about to protest, when a small figure in an ivory swing coat came gracefully dancing out of the English building. Alice stopped directly in front of me with her hands on my shoulders, her short black hair still swinging around her face. The excitement in her face was obvious. She was up to something.

She was bouncing in place before she got the first word out. "Bella! What do you say to a long relaxing weekend with us? We'll play it up as a girls' retreat spa weekend for Charlie of course, but that can be part of the plan, too." She gave a little shiver, even though she was completely unaffected by the chill in the air, keeping up her human appearance.

Edward moved from my side to stand behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. "What do you say, a long weekend, just the eight of us?" I twisted my head to look up at him in time to see a knowing smile pass between him and Alice. They were both up to something.

"I'm in," I said with a grin. Why would I say no? It's not like I wouldn't be safe, like I wouldn't have fun. I always felt guilty, deceiving Charlie like this, but I knew if there was anyone he didn't have to worry about me spending time with, it was the Cullens. I loved them all like family—they were my extended family in every way that mattered already, and were soon to be officially family.

"Perfect," Alice exclaimed. "Charlie will agree whole-heartedly when you call him at lunch—he's been wanting to go ice fishing this weekend, farther north. Just tell him the boys will be closely watched and you'll be with me and Rose. Got it?"

I nodded my head, causing my scarf to slip a little. "Got it." She kissed me on the cheek before heading back inside. "What is she up to?" I asked Edward as we began walking to first period.

He laughed. "Oh nothing, she just has a more accurate prediction of the weather for the weekend than everyone else," he said, failing to maintain his look of innocence.

***

The excitement of the student population of Forks High School was undeniable. Even though the weather report called for only 2-4 inches of snow, Mike, Jessica, Angela, Ben and many of the other students were making plans for a massive snow-war. Everywhere I went, all I heard was snow, snow, snow.

It must have spread to the police station because I heard laughter and a few snatches of "Winter Wonderland" in the background when I called Charlie at lunch. Just as Alice said, Charlie agreed to my weekend plans with very little coaxing, and even told me to say hello to all of the Cullens.

"Pack warm, Bells. Have fun," he said, before hanging up without giving me a chance to say goodbye.

"Well that was interesting. You heard that, right?" I asked, looking at Edward who had been waiting with me at the pay phone in the cafeteria. When he didn't say anything, I recounted my conversation with Charlie. "That's all he said! 'Pack warm!' and not even a goodbye! And he said to say hello to all of you. I think they're getting into the narcotics store room."

Edward, who had said nothing throughout the whole exchange, roared with laughter. "You need a vacation, Bella. Lighten up." Lighten up?! This, coming from my uptight worrier of a vampire boyfriend? I snorted. "Did you just snort? Are you mocking me?" He was enjoying this.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh hush. Is it really going to snow this weekend?"

"Alice says it will. Pack really warm, love. Don't give me that look," he said as I started to scrunch up my face in disgust at the snow. "I'll pick you up around 3:30, okay?"

The rest of the day flew by—before I knew it, I was driving home to pack for the long weekend. Once I was upstairs in my room, I began pulling out my heaviest sweaters, a few long sleeved thermal tops, long underwear and several pairs of jeans and sweats. If it was going to snow, I knew better than to think the Cullens, especially Emmett would let me stay dry inside. I added a couple pairs of gloves, an extra scarf and a pair of snow boots, shoving everything into a duffel bag. Now came the fun part—lugging the beast downstairs.

At the last minute, I decided to throw together some food for Charlie to take on his fishing trip. I made a batch of chili, cornbread, some sandwiches and fished out a few packets of hot chocolate mix. That should do it, I thought. I wrote out a quick note and had just signed "love you" when Edward arrived.

"Shall we go?" he asked, his golden eyes excited again.

I couldn't shake the feeling that he was up to something. "Sure, I'm ready." He grabbed my bag, which I had dumped unceremoniously at the foot of the stairs and we headed for his car, ready to begin what promised to be an eventful weekend.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Still own nothing but the storyline.

Just a quick note, this chapter leans a little toward the dramatic, more fun will come in the next chapter. The entire story will be from Bella's POV. This is the last of the cryptic "up to something" chapters.

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Chapter 2

I sat on the couch in Edward's room, staring at the forest in silent awe. It had never occurred to me, until I met the Cullens, just how many secrets the world held. The forest alone was who knows how old, with its towering trees and far-reaching depth. Right now it was hiding my extended family as they hunted. I was unintentionally making life difficult for them again, to the point where they had to hunt because I would be with them all weekend. As it stood, I was alone, left to my thoughts as I pondered how my world had so quickly turned upside down.

Not too long ago, I would have considered myself certifiable if I believed in vampires and all that. Now I not only believe it, but I am engaged to Edward and plan to become like him not too far ahead in the future. Am I crazy? Maybe. Maybe I became so bored in Forks that I created this elaborate fantasy and have been deceiving myself for the last year. I looked around the room as if to convince myself of my sanity and spied a picture of us from this summer. The love and joy on our faces was impossible to miss. Nah, I thought, my imagination is nowhere near that good.

I checked my hand, just to be sure. Yep, there was definitely still a crescent shaped scar there, still a few degrees colder than the rest of my skin.

A movement to the right caught my attention as I turned to the window again. One of the trees close to the edge of the forest was shaking furiously, as if it had been struck by an enormous force. I strained my ears to catch the laughter that would surely follow if it was one of my family members. Sure enough, a thunderous sound soon reached me—Emmett, I thought—but it was Edward who I saw in the distance, climbing up the tree until he was just visible, looking right at me as if he knew I would be there. I waved, knowing he would see me and saw him raise his stark white arm in return before letting himself jump back to the ground. Showoff, I thought, smiling and shaking my head.

It was then that the first few snowflakes began falling, drifting lazily to the ground as they swirled through the air. The small white ice crystals were the first of the season and I marveled at the beauty of the scene, glad that for now, I wasn't outside in it. Granted, my aversion to extremely cold things was not what it used to be, but winter and snow were still not my favorite things in the world.

I stood by the window, watching the snow as it turned the backyard into an even more peaceful retreat. The flakes came more quickly and within forty-five minutes a thin layer of snow covered the ground. I didn't know when, but sometime while I was watching the snow, I had settled on the floor by the windows.

A slight rustling sound behind me called my mind back to the world inside the house. I knew who it was, without looking. "Hi, Alice."

"Good job, Bella," she laughed, her voice tinkling pleasantly. "How did you know it was me?"

"Only you would be gracious enough to let me know you were there while still moving about in ballet steps," I replied. I had caught the slight sound of a familiar pattern of simple ballet steps, unlocked from my childhood memories of dance classes from her movement in the silent house.

"Those are actual steps? And you recognized them from sound? Bella, have you been holding out on me?"

I laughed. "I may not have been blessed with the grace and poise needed to be a dancer, but I always enjoyed watching, memorizing the movements just in case I could someday move without injuring myself," I smiled before continuing. "There's not a doubt in my mind that you've always been a dancer, Alice. You're a natural."

"Thank you, Bella. You know, I never thanked you for unintentionally finding out about my past, either. Thank you. My niece Cynthia," she began, pausing uncertainly at the familial term, "runs a dance school in Biloxi. That's how I found her when I searched my family's names in the news archives and the internet." She paused again, and we both looked out the window at the snow. "I spoke to her on the phone, posing as a reporter, asking about her school. Do you know she told me she started the school in memory of her mother, my sister?" The word again seemed to be a question in itself. "She told me that her mother and aunt had dreamed of being dancers as little girls but had never had lessons." Her voice became strained and I knew she would be crying if she were able.

My heart was breaking for her at the story. All I could think about was Alice as a little girl, so much hope and promise, all that exuberance and love for others that makes her Alice, denied to her in her human life. I draped my arm across her tiny shoulders.

"Thanks, Bella."

We sat, watching as the daylight faded into night, as the snow continued to fall. The silence was not heavy despite the weight of our previous conversation. Just having someone to talk to, someone who understood seemed to help her feel better. It was nice to be the one helping for a change.

"You're a good friend Bella. I'm glad you found us. I can't think of anyone I'd rather have for a sister or anyone who could be so perfect for my brother."

I could feel my cheeks burning, embarrassed by her honesty. I hate feeling like the center of attention.

"Could you do something for me?" she asked.

Knowing how much she enjoyed doing things for others, knowing how many glowing opportunities she'd been forced to miss out on and knowing how much I loved my soon-to-be sister, how could I refuse?

"Sure, Alice."

"Promise me you'll try to have fun this weekend?"

Yes, she was definitely up to something.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: yadda, yadda, yadda, these characters, etc. are not mine, we all know the drill.

A/N: Thank you to my reviewers, y'all are wonderful! And….We're back to the fun! Lots of dialogue in this chapter.

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Chapter 3

When I woke up Friday morning, I was blinded by the brightness. Blinking several times, I looked up to see Edward looking down at me, brushing my unruly hair out of my face. Sometime in the night, I had wound up back on his couch, sleeping with my head resting on his leg.

"When did you get back?" I asked.

"A little before 3. The floor looked uncomfortable so I took the liberty of moving your sleepyhead self. I hope you don't mind," he said with amusement in his now amber eyes.

I smiled as I rolled my eyes. Why on earth would I mind? I squinted my eyes—even with my back to the window in his room, it was impossible to ignore the brightness outside. "I didn't think it was supposed to be sunny today," I said as I stretched my legs.

"Oh, it's not sunny." I looked at him quizzically. "We, my dear, are snowed in. Completely."

I sat up with a start and twisted around to look outside. Sure enough, the snow was now so deep that it came half-way up the floor-to-ceiling windows of the first floor—about four feet from the looks of it. My mouth dropped open. Looking closer, I could see that it was still snowing.

"All of Forks will be buried under five feet of snow by the time it lets up," Edward declared jubilantly. I hadn't seen him this excited since the night we'd gotten engaged.

"Is this what you and Alice have been hiding?" I asked with false annoyance, knowing he was unaware of my promise to Alice, not that that would be the only thing making me have fun. I was cooking up a plan of my own, which now partially involved the massive amounts of snow outside.

"Us, hiding something?" he asked innocently. He was certainly in a good mood today.

We reluctantly got up from the couch to see what the rest of his family was doing. Downstairs, Alice and Jasper were in the living room drawing what appeared to be building plans as Emmett and Rosalie watched, occasionally offering ideas. Their heads were all leaned in over the sketch of what looked like the backyard. Emmett whispered something to the others, his mouth moving too fast for me to read his lips. The others nodded and all looked up at once, to acknowledge Edward and me.

"I see the landscaping plans are finished," Esme said as she walked through the living room. Her eyes had the same excited glint as everyone else's. "Just try not to do anything permanent this time," she added before heading upstairs.

I was becoming more suspicious by the minute. It was obvious they were going to build something massive with the snow in the backyard, but I couldn't quite guess what. If I had learned one thing in the last year, it was to not underestimate the Cullens.

"Bella," Jasper began, "take your time being human this morning. One of us will come get you when we're ready. NO. PEEKING." He shook his finger at me in his best Alice impersonation, earning a laugh from everyone.

***

An hour later, Edward came to get me from the kitchen where I was washing a cereal bowl. He wrapped his arms around me from behind, leaning his head down to softly kiss my neck. Blushing at his closeness, I leaned back into his embrace. I brought my hands out of the dishwater, drying them quickly before reaching behind me to run my fingers through his hair. At that, he turned me around swiftly to hold me close to him. Just standing here like this must be what heaven is like, I thought. Our lips brushed in the quickest of kisses before he spoke.

"You're so unbelievably warm, it feels amazing," he breathed, resting his cheek against the top of my head.

I shivered. "What did you guys do out there?" I asked. "You're absolutely frigid. I wonder…" I stopped myself before I finished that thought. He didn't need to hear my stream of consciousness thinking about whether my bare skin would stick to his like tongues stick to flagpoles when it's this cold. I was embarrassed enough, just thinking it. Thankfully, he let it go with just a raised eyebrow.

"Tell her nothing!" Emmett and Jasper chorused from outside as Alice and Rosalie laughed.

Edward and I looked at each other and smiled.

"You didn't really think I'd tell…"

"No, but I'm not sure you couldn't be persuaded," I sing-songed. "Please, Edward? Please tell me?" I looked up at him through my eyelashes, half pouting.

"Ugh, Bella, don't do that to me."

I stretched up on my toes to press my lips to his. "Please?"

He responded by entangling his hands in my still loose hair, pulling my face back to his as he kissed me more forcefully than before. One of his hands loosened from my hair to caress my cheek before he placed it on the small of my back, holding me to him.

"Stop necking in the kitchen, you little lovebirds! Get out here and play or I'll drag the human out and drop her in a snow bank," Emmett yelled with fake menace.

My face heated up at his suggestion. "Necking? Who in this century uses… Oh, right, nevermind." Edward chuckled at me and leaned in for another kiss.

"He'll do it, too, Edward! He already got Rosalie!" Alice called.

That earned a growl from both of us. I pushed away from the counter and began stomping toward the stairs to finish bundling up.

"I'll meet you outside, love," Edward called after me.

A few minutes later I was about to open the door to the backyard, dressed as if I were going to embark on an expedition to Antarctica. I thought about Emmett's threat. Would he? He would, I thought as I looked outside. Sure enough, there was a distinct "X" shape in one of the snow mounds right outside the door, and Rosalie was pelting Emmett with snowballs.

Emmett spotted me at the door and rushed over, opening it and grabbing me around the waist as he carried me out the door, holding me horizontally against his side.

"There's my favorite red-faced sister!" He bellowed. "What were you two in there doing that took so long? Were you snacking, Edward? Should I check her for bite marks?"

I heard a faint growling from a distant snow bank, which is where Edward apparently was, judging by the now telling "X" in the snow.

"Look at her face! I didn't think it was possible to turn so many shades of red." Emmett was incorrigible.

Jasper and Rosalie stood off to the side, laughing silently while I wriggled fruitlessly to get free from Emmett's bear-like grip.

"I'd stop that if I were you, Emmett," Alice warned as her eyes came back into focus and she began laughing. She must have caught that last image that ran through my head, a fleeting plan involving Emmett, a lighter for threatening and a lot of returned teasing.

I caught sight of Edward's head and arms emerging from the snow bank.

"Oh, fine. You people are no fun." He swung me around to grab my legs, and before I knew it, I was flying through the air, right toward Edward who was just standing up.

"What?" Edward asked, as his arms came around me automatically. Taken by surprise apparently, he fell backwards into the snow again, still holding me.

We were completely encased by the snow where we fell as Edward's previous trip into the bank had created quite a cavity. I shook the snow from my hair and began brushing it off the arms of my coat to muffle the sound of my voice as I whispered conspiratorially to Edward.

"We're going to get him, right?"

"He'll never see us coming. Tomorrow. Let him think he's getting away with it."

"Oh Edward, Bella," Emmett sang merrily. "What ever are you two doing down there? We can't leave you alone for a minute!"

I could almost see him tapping his fingers together like a silent movie villain. "Do we have to wait until tomorrow?" I asked as Jasper appeared over the edge of the hole, offering his hand to help me out.

With a gentle tug, Jasper had me out of the hole, and Edward jumped out behind me. I took advantage of my first chance to stand on two feet since coming outside and surveyed the yard.

They had cleared a path to the river from the back doors, and with the snow that had been cleared, an enormous hill had been constructed which looked high enough for sledding. As I had noticed earlier, there were several mounds of snow along the path and in the forest as well. Only two of them were currently marred where Rosalie, Edward and I had been thrown inside. I wondered what they were for…If I had to guess, they were probably barriers to hide behind for a snowball fight. Jasper's idea, I bet. Behind the last of the barriers to the right was an expanse of pristine white snow, undisturbed and practically begging for snowmen, snow angels and other future building.

Alice, who had noticed me looking at the yard, bounded over to me. "What do you think?" She gave me a knowing wink, acknowledging my promise. I wonder if she saw the plans I was formulating for later.

Without any hesitation though, I answered happily, "It looks amazing! What are we going to do first?"

Beside me, Edward's mouth dropped open in surprise at my enthusiasm, causing the others to laugh. They rarely get to see Edward taken off guard. I can only imagine how Emmett was able to distract him enough to toss him in the snow bank earlier. Twice. Hmm…

Rosalie was the first to regain her composure. "All right, you heard the woman. What's first? Let's vote."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: As always, only this plot is mine. Nothing else.

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Chapter 4

Unsurprisingly, Jasper and Emmett were in strong support of a snowball fight. Seeing them, as well as the others, so carefree and excited about the prospect of a weekend essentially playing in the snow, of all things, it was all too clear to me that they were all still under the age of 21. Today, free from the façade of being human, free to have fun was probably the most human they have ever seemed to me. I felt a rush of love for each of them.

Bringing my attention back to the present events, I began paying attention to the voting which would determine the types of injury I might sustain today.

"Sledding?" Jasper asked. Rosalie, Alice, Edward and I all raised our hands.

"Traitor," Jasper and Emmett muttered, glaring at Edward.

"If we have the snowball fight today," Edward reasoned, "we'll likely destroy the hill and the other stuff we built and left room for."

"Not to mention, it could probably put Bella out of commission for the rest of the weekend. At least this way, she gets one day out here," Rosalie laughed. I didn't know whether I should be offended or if her laugh was genuinely teasing. To my complete surprise, she winked at me.

It was decided then, that we'd go sledding today and save the snowball fight for tomorrow. I began walking toward the newly made hill while the guys went for the sleds.

"Where are you going, Bella?" Alice asked with genuine curiosity.

"To the hill, for sledding." I was confused. Where else would I be going, and why were they trying not to laugh?

"Oh Bella, that hill is for the snowball fight. We go sledding over by the river," Alice returned in an "everybody knows that" kind of tone. At my horrified expression, Alice patted my head.

All the consolation in the world was not going to fix this. The landscape by the river was rough—low mountains, which unreasonable people called hills, covered by trees and fallen rocks… This does not bode well for me, I thought. I'm going to wind up splattered against… I shook my head as if to rid myself of the gory mental images. I refused to let myself consider the fact that the "hills" ended right at the river.

I looked over at Alice uncertainly. Her expression was one of revulsion.

"That's disgusting, Bella," she said, commenting on my mental images of what I was sure would happen. "And, it's completely ridiculous. There happens to be an excellent sledding course right up that hill," she pointed to a rather formidable looking hill to the left.

The guys came back with the sleds, and Edward came over to me with a grin on his face.

"Hop on," he said, gesturing that I should climb on his back. "By the way, I had no idea you would or could come up with such disgusting mental images. What goes on in there never ceases to amaze me," he laughed as he tapped my forehead for emphasis. I guess he saw Alice's vision of my own certainties of my fate.

"I'm glad I amuse you all. Hold still," I commanded, as I placed my hands on his shoulders and jumped. Edward caught my legs as I wrapped them around his waist and my arms around his neck. I lightly pressed my cold cheek against his neck, my warm breath making him shiver a little. "Now, mush!"

"So that's how it's going to be?" he asked, feigning irritated indignation. "You asked for it." He took off running, faster than he's ever run while carrying me. I screamed and tried to close my eyes. I could hear the others behind us snickering as Emmett chorused my command.

"Mush, mush!"

Even running uphill through snow did not slow Edward at all. It was as if his feet weren't even touching the ground. All I could see were the bursts of snow near his feet as he ran through it, making the snow fly around us as if we were in a snow globe. Trees became blurred vertical stripes without any definition to their shape as we streaked by. I think Edward even ran toward them a few times only to veer away at the last second. Knowing Edward wouldn't let anything happen to me, it was easier to appreciate the speed if not the run.

When we reached the top of the hill, I couldn't stop an exhilarated giggle from escaping. Edward gently loosened my stranglehold and I slid down to put my feet on the ground again. He caught me in his arms, spinning us in a slow circle. Our heads leaned together, faces tilted toward each other. My lips touched his as his arms tightened around me. I could feel my cheeks burning with their trademark blush. We broke apart, Edward keeping one arm slung around my shoulders as I looked up at him.

His face was completely jubilant, as he smiled widely, eyes dancing with merriment. The wind created by his run had done a number on his normally tousled hair, leaving his bronze locks especially unruly and full of snow that wouldn't melt. He looked down at me and smiled even wider.

"I think your cheeks are a bit wind-burned, love," he said, softly running a cold finger down my cheek.

"Well gee, I wonder how that happened," I teased.

The others were joining us now, laying out the sleds at the invisible (to me) sledding course heads. Each of the "safe" paths looked equally treacherous.

Edward steered me toward one of the sleds as the other couples each chose a sled as well. I clambered onto the wooden sled and Edward sat behind me, his legs stretched out beside mine. He put one arm around my waist, holding the sled with the other hand. I followed suit, holding onto the sled with both hands. His feet stretched to reach the rudimentary steering mechanism at the front of the sled. We both leaned forward to push off.

And then we were flying.

It wasn't as fast as Edward's run, but it was darned close. The wind created as we rushed downhill burned my cheeks and whipped my hair loose from its braid. Loose, powdery snow was kicked up off the top of the more densely packed wet snow by the sled's metal runners, forming a glittery white cloud around us. I tried not to look as we zipped past the trees. I could hear the others laughing as they rode down their own paths. It was then that I noticed that Edward and I were both laughing as well.

At the bottom of the hill Edward put his feet out, dragging them in the snow to slow us to a stop while I took over the steering. We came skidding to a halt just shy of the river.

"Best sledding trip I've ever had—that was… I don't even know!" I stammered through my giggle fit. I began to get up so we could trek uphill again, but Edward put his hand on my shoulder to keep me seated.

"I'll pull you back uphill, love. Just hold on so you don't fall off," he said with sincerity before adding, "If I don't pull or carry you, it will be dark before you stumble your way up." He had the nerve to wink.

When he turned his back and started pulling the sled, I reached beside me for a handful of snow, making quick work of forming it into a ball. "Just you wait until I'm like you, mister," I warned before lobbing the snowball at him. I had been aiming for the back of his head but missed, only managing to skim the top of his shoulder.

He stopped moving and before I knew it, I was on my back in the snow and he was tickling me. I squirmed to get away, but he was always faster as I rolled from side to side to avoid his tickling. I fought back by pulling off my gloves to touch his face and neck, to shock him with my warm hands. Still giggling, I took advantage of his slight distraction to try tickling his sides. To my complete surprise, he roared with laughter and fell away from me, both of us collapsing in a heap, my head on his stomach, bouncing up and down with his laughter.

The others, apparently curious about what we were in hysterics about, came over to where we lay in the snow.

"What's so funny?" someone asked. I couldn't tell who it was.

"Who…knew…" I gasped between laughs, clutching my sides. "Who knew that vampires…are ticklish?"

***

We spent the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon in the same way, occasionally trading partners or taking solo sledding trips. It took me a while to gather the courage to try the hill solo, being cautious about the combination of speed, terrain and my klutziness. Normal people would have stuck with the perfectly safe hill destined for our upcoming snowball fight, but not me. But then again, since when have I been fenced in by normality?

Thankfully, my solo ride went off without a hitch or a stitch—literally.

Emmett had just finished his own and offered me a ride up the hill, which I gladly accepted. He turned to look at me, smiling as he asked, "What do you say, little sister—how about a trip downhill, too?"

I quickly agreed and the first ride was uneventful. He asked again as soon as we made it back to the hilltop. I should have known, right then.

The second ride was completely horrifying. As soon as we pushed off, he covered my eyes with one of his big hands, obscuring my sight. His payback was swift and brutal as I spent the ride uphill smacking him on the head.

"I did kind of deserve that, huh? I can't help it though, you're fun to tease, Bella." He grinned, showing the dimples in his cheeks as he put me down again.

"Yeah, you did deserve it, but I'm not mad anymore. I took out most of my anger on your head, which thankfully for you is as hard as a brick," I said, making him laugh. "I let you get away with the teasing because you're my brother, and because I know you're a big…"

I didn't get to finish because he playfully tackled me to the ground, resuming Edward's tickling tactic. Two can play at this game, I thought, as I gathered a pile of snow and shoved it in his face. He sputtered, spraying snow out of his mouth, then shook his head to get the snow out of his hair. A few stray bits hung in his eyelashes.

"Played like a true Cullen, Bella. Well done." He got to his feet and reached down to help me up. "I'm really glad you're part of the family."

"Thanks, Emmett."

I hadn't noticed that Alice was coming to join us, so when I heard her wind chime-like voice, I was slightly startled.

"So, Bella, now that Edward's out of hearing range for the time being, I wanted to ask you something."

"Sure. Alice. What is it?"

"Do you need some help putting your plan for tonight into action?" She smiled at me hopefully.

Emmett raised his eyebrows. "Plan? What plan?"

"Oh," Alice said, "you'll see." She patted him on the arm as she turned to me for my answer.

No, I thought, hopefully he _won't_ see.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I own nothing _Twilight_-related. This story-specific plot is the product of my imagination, but that's it. Neither "Fur Elise" nor "The Christmas Song" nor "Dixie" are mine.

A/N: Thank you to all of you who have reviewed this story. vonda1, Emmauk26, mentalwanderer, UltravioletSpark, Dana Rose, Kimberly Steward, cb, and GlaudioseGoddess, you all are very kind and you rock!

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Chapter 5

True to her word, Alice helped immensely with putting my plan into action. She'd ushered Emmett away on the hill before he found out, bless her. While the others were still outside carousing in the snow, Alice and I went inside under the guise of her visiting with me while I made dinner. I did have dinner while we were inside, but that was just a minor detail. We spent most of the time in the living room, a little-used room off the family room. With her help, we had everything ready in under an hour.

I retreated upstairs to take a shower after we finished, then tossed on a long sleeved tee shirt and sweatpants before drying my hair. I packed my clothes from today back into my bag and went downstairs to meet up with Alice, finding her in the kitchen.

"Everything is in place and ready to go, Bella. I'll make sure everyone plays along." She bounced on the balls of her feet. "He's going to flip."

"Great! How exactly are you going to convince them?" I wondered aloud.

She raised one eyebrow and narrowed her eyes, looking quite mischievous. "Oh, I have my ways. Esme and Carlisle will be easy, and so will Jasper. Emmett is the only wild card unless Rosalie gives in to some of her more devious tendencies."

I didn't think I wanted to know what that involved. Rather than contemplating that, I turned to the stove to make some hot chocolate. The house was slightly colder than usual, playing right into my hands and making hot chocolate perfectly reasonable. Alice and I chatted while the hot chocolate cooked on the stove.

Edward and the others came in a while later, smiling and joking with each other. He came over to me, putting his hands on my waist and kissing the top of my head. I stood up on my tiptoes to brush the tip of my nose back and forth against his.

"You look awfully comfortable. Are you ready for bead already?"

I shook my head. "Nope. Not even close."

"Good. I'll be back in a few minutes. I'm just going to take a quick shower. I spent a lot of time being knocked down to the ground today," he said, looking over at Emmett with a scowl. He was in too much of a good mood to hold the expression, smiling almost immediately. He gave me another quick kiss before disappearing upstairs.

Jasper and Alice went upstairs shortly afterward, followed by Rosalie and Emmett, who could not resist teasing me as he went.

"Now Bella," he said as if he were talking to a child, "you play nice with Edward. He's had several shocks today and might be on edge."

I blushed, making him laugh as Rosalie swatted him on the arm.

"Play nice, Emmett. Now let's go have our own fun. Alice and Jasper were talking about strategies for tomorrow. We need to form alliances," Rosalie reasoned as they walked upstairs.

These people took their play fights way too seriously. I guess that's what you get with a houseful of people who have lived through several wars and a former Civil War Major. I could tell when Rosalie and Emmett opened Alice's door because I heard Jasper loudly whispering "Dixie." I was beginning to sympathize with Esme even more—she was the only sane person in this house, as even Carlisle has been known to give in to his more free-wheeling tendencies, evidenced by the baseball game this spring.

I poured some of the hot chocolate into a mug and went to the living room to wait for Edward. Alice and I had set candles around on the tables and built a fire in the fireplace which was burning quite well now. I stood by the fireplace, looking at the pictures on the mantle. Seeing each couple represented together, it was almost as if I could feel the love radiating outward from the frozen moments in time captured on film. The fire was warming me slowly, the heat spreading all the way down to my bare toes. Paired with the hot chocolate, it was like I was being gently heated from the inside out. This is what being in love feels like, I thought, a warmness inside that grows and glows and makes you feel safe and comfortable, joyous and peaceful all at the same time.

I sensed Edward behind me before he wrapped his cool arms around me. It was virtually impossible to hear him coming, but I was so attuned to him I could tell when he was near. He leaned down to rest his chin on my shoulder, our cheeks touching lightly.

"Hello, beautiful," he murmured in my ear, sending another wave of warmth through me.

"Hey you." I tilted my head to the side to lean against his. We stood like that for a long time, not talking, just enjoying being with each other.

He took me by surprise when he suddenly took the mug from my hands, setting it on the mantle. I looked over at him to see what he was doing. He returned my gaze as he grasped my hand, extending our arms and spinning me around in a slow turn so that I was now facing him. The hand he held as we turned, he let go of long enough to place my other hand on his shoulder before wrapping his arm around my waist. Our other hands immediately linked.

There, in front of the roaring fire, in the living room lit only by candlelight, we danced slowly and easily, as if we'd been doing this for years. We swayed from side to side, barely moving our feet, except to make small adjustments which had us gradually making turns. I moved my hand from his shoulder to the back of his head, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. In response, he brought his hand up my back, ever so lightly brushing up and down my spine. Sighing with contentment, I moved closer to him, laying my head on his chest and closed my eyes. I felt him rest his cheek against the top of my head as we continued to dance.

He began to hum a slow version of "Fur Elise," his voice resonating in his chest. When he finished the song, he lowered me into a dip, supporting me with his arm as we kissed, lightly at first, before it turned deeper. It wasn't long enough before he pulled us back up to a standing position.

I don't know who moved first, but we moved together to the couch facing the fireplace. He sat, with his back wedged into the corner, one leg stretched out along the length of the cushions while the other hung off the front of the couch as if he were sitting normally. I sat with him, my back against his chest. He reached up to the back of the couch for a blanket, covering our legs with it before encircling me with his arms.

"This was a wonderful idea, Bella. Is this what you and Alice were hiding?"

I snickered and decided to use one of his own cheeky responses. "Us? Hiding something?" I asked innocently. I felt him shake with silent laughter.

"Fine, you can keep your secrets. Anyway, thank you. This is a perfect surprise—an evening alone without anything or anyone to hide from," Edward said softly.

"I know what you mean. It's nice just to be, to be still and enjoy being snowed in, wrapped in the arms of my favorite person in the world." I tilted my head back, looking at him upside down to see a slow smile spread across his features. I could feel my own face doing the same thing.

Even though we spent almost every night cuddled together in my room, tonight was different. Maybe it was the warm glow of the candlelight and the burning fire, or the sensation of being snuggled together on the couch under a fluffy blanket. Maybe it was seeing the beauty of the snow through the windows next to the fireplace, shining in the moonlight, brightening the dark inky blue night sky. Maybe it was a combination of all of those things, but something about tonight felt different—right—as if I were finally home.

We chatted every now and then, mostly about unimportant things, but mostly we just enjoyed each other's company. After a period of comfortable silence, watching the flames leap and dance in a popping, crackling ballet, my eyelids started getting heavy and drooped involuntarily. I sighed deeply and shifted further into the couch, turning my head into Edward's chest.

I heard a scuffling behind us but ignored it, too comfortable and content to care about what it was.

Then the singing began.

"Bella's roasting near an open fire, Jasper nipping at her throat…"

"EMMETT!!" Even I could hear Jasper's protest from upstairs, my head jerking up. Emmett just laughed and continued singing as Edward surreptitiously began looking for something to throw at him.

"Little vampires, with their eyes all aglow, will find it hard not to eat, tonight. She knows that Edward's on his way, he's got big plans for…" At that he was promptly clocked with a pillow, effectively ending the serenade as he doubled over in laughter and backed away from the door, his hands raised in submission.

I just shook my head, amused, as Edward growled. I'd never heard a more entertaining version of "The Christmas Song."

Edward and I settled back into our positions on the couch as he gradually relaxed. Having been jolted back to consciousness with Emmett's singing, it took a while before I felt sleepy again.

Finally feeling sleep coming, I groggily murmured, "You've got to admit one thing."

"What's that, love?"

"That was a pretty good version of the song. Emmett certainly has a biting sense of humor," I couldn't resist adding, before closing my eyes and giving in to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: The only thing that's mine is this individual storyline.

A/N: There are some slightly OOC moments in this chapter…I like to think certain situations may bring about stronger reactions in some of the characters.

* * *

Chapter 6

I should have known last night when everyone was having strategy meetings. However, I was generously giving myself a pass because at the time, I thought Alice was merely giving me a way to have privacy for Operation Snuggle. This morning, I had no excuse. So when I came downstairs and saw all of the Cullens decked out in solid white clothes and toboggans, my suspicious activity radar should have been emitting ear-piercing shrieks, but alas, I remained Queen of the Dim.

As a result of the epic fail of my radar, I was now hunkered down behind one of the snow mounds in the backyard, covering my head. I turned to Esme, who grimaced as a snowball missile took a sizable chunk out of our snowy protective barrier.

"How did we get roped into this, Esme?" I squeaked as I was covered in snow from where our barrier was being quickly demolished.

"I don't know, dear," she replied with resignation. "I generally try to stay out of these things, but Carlisle was surprisingly enthusiastic and Alice used that heartbreaking expression of hers…"

I knew exactly the look she meant. Now, because of our combined confusion, lack of foresight, and tendency to be persuaded, we were being assaulted by her husband and children. As if this were not bad enough, the teams were horribly and unevenly matched. Esme and Carlisle, like Edward and I, had not made any alliances last night, so Esme and I were standing, well, cowering alone. Edward and Carlisle were faring much better as Edward was with Alice and Carlisle was with Rosalie. Jasper and Emmett, paired in an unholy alliance of a team were causing most of the destruction.

"Do you think we should retreat?" I asked. The sounds from the fight on the other side of our snow barrier would likely cover the noise of our movements from their heightened sense of hearing.

"I think that might be best."

We began moving backward and to the right, heading for our next barrier. Ahead of us, "in enemy territory," I could hear the other teams taunting us and each other, as the alliances seemed to have faded. I saw Rosalie throw a perfectly aimed snowball toward Jasper and Emmett, hitting Emmett squarely in the face before giving Carlisle a high-five and cackling with glee. If anything, it seemed as if Rosalie and Carlisle had joined with Edward and Alice—another unholy alliance of a team—to fight Jasper and Emmett. Esme and I had apparently been forgotten.

At the next barrier, Esme and I sat up to observe the action now that we had better cover and were no longer the primary targets of attack. A round of cheers arose from Alice and Edward next to us as I saw Jasper and Emmett take hits and begin to retreat.

"We may retreat, but we will never surrender!" Jasper shouted, pumping his fist in the air.

"Oh yeah? I've got a psychic over here who thinks differently!" Edward yelled back. I began to feel a surge of pride, love and extreme desire for Edward, and was about to run to him when I heard Alice.

"Lust, Jasper? Really?"

Emmett laughed, "Good move, brother." I noticed the other couples suddenly stop moving for a few seconds as they regained control of their emotions.

The next snowball that was released came straight for me, catching me in the shoulder. I couldn't quite determine where it came from. Before I could even think about returning fire, another snowball came our way and hit Esme. Oh wonderful, I thought, we're the targets again.

"Sorry, dear!" Carlisle shouted apologetically.

"Sorry? Sorry?! There's no 'sorry' in war!" Jasper and Emmett said, scandalized. They began firing at Rose and Carlisle mercilessly.

As they were currently distracted, I was free to watch the action again as Rose, Carlisle, Jasper and Emmett waged war on each other. It was incredible to watch, really, as the frozen missiles flew back and forth, exploding into a white cloud upon impact.

"Why shouldn't we get in on this, Esme? What's the worst that could happen?" I raised my eyebrows as I looked at her. There was no reason to sit here weakly while the others had all the fun. I began packing the snow around me into balls that were small enough to still get some distance with my human strength.

"Bella, dear…"

"Yes, Esme?" I asked, as I picked up my ammunition and began looking for a target, "What's the matter?"

"The first snowball you throw," she began as the snowball left my hand, heading in Jasper and Emmett's direction, "is an open declaration of war," she finished, her eyes widening in horror as my snowball landed a few feet shy of their barrier.

"Oh, crap! Why didn't you tell me?"

"Well dear, frankly we seemed safe enough and I didn't think you'd want to play along. We've got no choice now." At that she stood up and shouted at the top of her voice.

"I DON'T WANT TO SEE ANY SNOWBALLS COMING IN MY DIRECTION! THIS FIGHT IS…" Her tirade was cut short by a snowball hitting her in the stomach. My mouth dropped open in shock as a hush seemed to fall over all of us. No one moved. Esme looked from her coat, to me, and then to her family before looking back down to me. She winked. "THIS FIGHT IS ON!" She fell to the ground quickly and we feverishly began making more snowballs.

"We haven't got a chance, Esme. There's no way I'll be of any help to you!"

"We may lose, but we'll go down fighting." Another chunk of our protective barrier disappeared.

"Is that all you've got, Bella? Mom?" Emmet taunted.

"I've seen Esme give more rousing speeches than that when she wants something cleaned," Jasper continued.

"What do _you_ think, Rose?" Emmett asked.

"I think Bella'd better surrender soon because the doctor's on my side."

"If that's how you're playing," Esme began, her voice deadly calm, "then the doctor had better reevaluate his priorities because he's still _my_ husband." She doubled over as we laughed silently.

She pointed at me then at one of our partially destroyed barriers several feet ahead, then mimed throwing toward Jasper and Emmett. I nodded my assent and began crawling forward. I was spotted almost immediately and was pelted endlessly. Esme urged me on as she made her own advances so she could attack Rosalie.

Alice and Edward had apparently "observed" our plan as the assault on me quickly stopped and moved toward them, as they diverted Jasper's and Emmett's attention.

"THAT, Emmett, is for throwing me in the snow bank!" I heard a snowball make its signature impact ahead of me. "And THAT is for throwing Bella," THWACK. "And THAT, is for your constant teasing of her," Thwack. "And THAT, is for the rest of your song last night that I heard in your thoughts." Edward it seemed, was being particularly chivalrous, instigating this with Emmett as a distraction for me.

"Oh, suck it up, Edward. For one thing, that song was a masterpiece. Even Bella enjoyed it!" Thwack, thwack, thwack—return fire.

I tuned out the rest of their conversation as I crouched behind the half-ruined snow mound. There wasn't much time before I was discovered so I set to work making snowballs as quickly as possible.

"Take that, Rose!" Esme shouted as the snowball she threw knocked Rosalie's toboggan from her head.

"Hey!"

I snickered as I went back to work.

"Unprotected Human!" Jasper yelled, and the assault on me began again.

I began lobbing snowballs as quickly as I could, aiming for the barrier blocking him and Emmett from view. With less distance to make up for, my aim improved, and the barrier began breaking away in chunks.

"Aww, isn't that cute, the little human is attacking us," they said together in a patronizing tone.

I adjusted my aim and managed to graze Jasper's arm with a snowball. My next throw connected with Emmett's elbow.

Esme meanwhile had managed to reduce Rosalie to a sitting position, covering her head, while Carlisle looked on, his eyes filled with shock at this new side of Esme. "We're annexing you, Carlisle! You and Rose are with Bella and me now!" He didn't argue, coming to our part of the yard willingly. Rose came grudgingly at first, but was soon joining me in my attack on Jasper and Emmett.

"No hard feelings, Bella?" she asked.

"Of course not!"

Next to us, Alice and Edward were laughing hysterically.

"What are you two laughing at?" I asked as I threw another snowball toward the guys.

"You should hear Esme, love. All this talk about annexing and underestimating the little guys. She sounds like Napoleon."

"Her plans are really quite something. She wants to…" Alice didn't get to finish as the snowball that hit her shoulder took her by surprise, definitely a first.

"Hush, Alice! We're annexing you too, before you give away my plans."

Yeesh, I thought, Esme has learned a lot from watching them play baseball.

The fight continued for a few more hours, Esme and I along with our two "annexed" teams against Emmett and Jasper. They put up a valiant effort but we beat them in the end, destroying the last of their barriers just after dark.

We all began heading back to the house, with Esme and I being carried on Carlisle's and Edward's shoulders, our arms raised in victory.

I could hear Emmett behind us, muttering to Jasper in a disgusted tone, "Ugh, bested by our mother and a clumsy human. We've lost our edge, my brother. We've lost our edge."

"At least we weren't annexed! And we didn't surrender! And we went down fighting! We never say die!" Under his breath, Jasper added, "We will never speak of this again. If we must, it will be referred to only as The Battle of the Backyard, a day of great loss. THAT'S IT."

"Agreed."

All in all, I thought, as Esme and I turned to each other and grinned, this was a good day.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: The only thing that's mine is this individual storyline.

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has added "The Long Weekend" to their favorite story lists, story alerts, to everyone who has added me as a favorite author (! still shocked at that one) and author alerts. You all are too kind! I cannot express my appreciation enough. Truly, thank you all.

A/N part 2: Only two chapters left after this! My next story will be out soon after this one is finished.

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Chapter 7

According to Alice, today would be the last day of our being snowed in, even though we still wouldn't have school tomorrow and Charlie wouldn't be back until tomorrow afternoon. Despite my initial misgivings about all the harm that would likely come to me, I would be disappointed to see this weekend come to an end. I _had_ had fun, without even forcing myself to.

I was still laying on Edward's couch, even though I'd been awake for more than thirty minutes. I just couldn't bring myself to get up, and Edward certainly didn't seem to object. We simply continued Operation Snuggle, as Alice and I called it, right there in his room. Our position on the couch was much like it had been in the family room—I was infinitely comfortable. Edward tensed, his arms tightening around me slightly.

"What's the matter?" I asked, knowing he'd heard someone think something that was making him nervous.

"Nothing's quite wrong, but how do you feel about ice skating on the river?"

My stomach did a flip-flop. Oh boy, I thought, I'm going to finish the weekend black and blue. I gave myself a mental shake—assertive confidence, Bella, assertive confidence. "Sounds like fun, I'm willing to give it a shot."

"I never can predict what you're going to do, Bella."

"But that's why you stick with me, right? So that's why I always try to surprise you," I teased. "Not only do I keep you on your toes, but I intrigue you enough to stick around a little longer."

He chuckled and kissed the top of my head. "Of course that's what it is, my little enigma. I keep you around for the mental challenge."

"We'll have to honeymoon somewhere snowy," I said, changing the subject abruptly in one of my rare moments of not editing my thoughts before I spoke. Might as well continue with it, I thought. "I'm enjoying this snowed in thing quite a bit." I turned my head to wink at him. I could tell that this first instance of me initiating wedding talk was not lost on him.

His answering smile was indescribably bright. "I could do that."

We continued teasing, talking and planning for the rest of the morning. I knew we'd catch flak for it from his brothers later, but it was one o'clock before we emerged from Edward's room. Not that we had anything to be ashamed of—Edward was a gentleman after all, but they usually took every opportunity to give us a good ribbing.

***

The rest of the family was already outside on the river, so when Edward and I came outside, hand in hand, they waved in greeting and continued skating. I was reminded of when Edward dragged me to the prom—the couples were swirling about gracefully on the frozen river just as they did on the dance floor in the school gym. Even Carlisle and Esme were joining in the fun. I watched as Emmett tossed Rosalie into a perfect twisting aerial spin and Jasper and Alice skated together while holding hands. I looked at Edward questioningly.

"I won't let you fall," he assured me, answering the question in my eyes.

We found the skates the others had left for us and laced them tightly. I was just standing up when I saw Edward offer me a hand up. I took it, bracing my other gloved hand against the ground.

"Thanks, on both accounts," I replied as for once, I stood with grace.

Walking together in our skates, Edward and I made our way to the edge of the river. I carefully set one foot on the surface, testing my stability. When I didn't fall, I brought my other foot forward. Edward still stood in the snow behind me as if to catch me, ever prepared for me to fall. I surprised both of us by moving forward on the ice without issue. He joined me then, taking my left hand in his as we began skating slowly toward his family.

Ice skating was much easier than I anticipated, though I was by no means an expert skater. All I had to remember was to shift my weight to the leg that was moving forward and to keep my skates as level as possible. I took a couple of spills early on, but luckily never hit the ice as Edward's swift reflexes and strong arms caught me on my way down.

Next to us, I watched Carlisle and Esme skate together with the grace and style of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. They looked so young and in love gliding across the ice. Every now and then, Carlisle would bend his head down to whisper in Esme's ear, causing her to smile, or close her eyes and sigh in contentment.

As they skated past Edward and me, I smiled and leaned into his side. "They're always so happy, do you think we'll be as happy as them when we've been together as long as they have?"

Edward looked down at me, his eyes soft. "They are extremely happy; I wish you could hear what I hear sometimes. Esme and Carlisle are perfectly suited for one another, just like you and I. That's all it takes really—being so well suited for the other person and alike in values, morals and mind. So yes, I think we stand a good chance of being exceedingly happy for all of eternity."

I squeezed his hand before answering, "They're just so cute. The way they look at and talk to each other—that's how I picture the two of us being forever. And I agree—we're alike in all the important areas, but different enough in other ways to keep things interesting."

"What I wouldn't give to hear what you're thinking right now."

"How about I show you?" I asked mischievously, as I slid to a stop.

He raised one eyebrow and opened his mouth to speak, but I was quicker. I took his face between my hands and brought it down to mine. Keeping my eyes locked with his, I kissed him fervently, our lips moving together in perfect synchronization. I poured all the love I had for him into the kiss and his arms came around me, holding me with a gentle strength. His eyes began to smolder, telling me it was only a matter of time before he would break the kiss, so I pulled back to take a breath. It didn't stop me, however, from leaning forward to give him a few quick pecks before taking his hand again so we could continue skating.

He kept hold of my hand and shoulder and leaned his forehead against mine, breathing quickly. "Message received."

***

Emmett, Rosalie, Carlisle and Esme soon went inside, leaving the rest of us to our fun. Jasper and Alice were skillfully doing cat-and-mouse chase turns as the skated, laughing as they moved about in an elaborate dance. They caught hands as they passed one another and Jasper spun her in a tight, dizzyingly fast circle that would put any figure skater to shame.

Edward and I concentrated on each other, off in our own little world. I reveled in the way my small, gloved hand fit inside his, as if our physical selves were made for each other, too. He meanwhile, was smiling to himself as he guided us around on the frozen river. It was as if I didn't even need to think about where to put my feet or maintaining balance—I simply seemed to know where Edward's lead was going to take us. I loved that we were so in sync with one another to be able to do things like this. Edward extended our arms, our hands still linked, and spun me in a tight circle as Jasper and Alice had done, but thankfully, more slowly, before pulling me toward him and lifting me in his arms so that our eyes were on the same level.

"Ready to go inside, Bella?"

"Sure, sounds like a plan."

He set me down again, and after saying goodbye to Jasper and Alice, we skated back to the edge of the river and stepped off into the snow. We took off our skates, replacing them with our boots and began walking back to the house.

"I have an idea," Edward said as we walked.

"And what's that?"

"What do you say to continuing your plan from the other night and watching a movie?"

I turned my head toward him, looking up into his eyes. "I say, 'mush!'" I dropped his hand and began running for the house. Edward's laugh boomed behind me before he followed, quickly catching up. He could easily overtake me, but we raced at human speed all the way to the back door.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: The only thing that's mine is this individual storyline. The movies mentioned in this chapter are also not mine.

A/N: One chapter to go after this!

* * *

Chapter 8

After both Edward and I had our showers and changed clothes, we were going to meet downstairs in the living room to choose a movie. I was downstairs before him, so I settled onto the couch to wait. Emmett, Rosalie, Alice and Jasper had gone back outside and were building again. I couldn't be sure at first, but it looked as if they were building snowmen. Each person was working on their own figure but were constantly surveying each other. It took me a few minutes to realize that they were making their snowmen look like one another. Rosalie had done a remarkable job building "Emmett," all the way down to his wide, goofy grin, which she constructed out of broken twigs. His version of her was equally elaborate, but I couldn't take my eyes off Jasper's and Alice's work.

Jasper had built a petite figure, adding Alice's spiky black hair to the head using leaves from the various trees nearby. He was beginning to draw the outlines of clothing when I looked over to Alice who was busily creating "Jasper." She kept having to climb on her creation so she could work on the head and face, as the snowman was life-sized. Once the head was complete, she drew several crescent shapes on the surface of Snow Jasper with her index finger, adding scars to him. I looked back over to Jasper, who by this point had made a pair of high-heeled shoes for Snow Alice to carry. Jasper and Alice simultaneously reached for the tree branches that they had set aside for arms. When they were finished, Snow Jasper and Snow Alice appeared to be strolling through the yard, arm in twiggy arm.

Edward came downstairs then, and we set to work choosing a movie. Contrary to logic, this was not an easy task. Neither of us wanted to watch an action movie, but beyond that, we were struggling to make a decision.

"What about a musical, like _Grease_ or _West Side Story_?" I asked. Those were both good to watch curled up with someone you loved.

"Not _West Side Story_, it's too much like _Romeo and Juliet_—it doesn't fit with today's fun," he insisted. "How about _The Phantom of the Opera_ or _Singin' in the Rain_?"

"Nah, not today. What about…_Wuthering Heights_?" I knew I'd get a reaction with that.

"Ugh, NO! Plus, the film was awful—way too theatrical for the brooding tone of the novel."

"Snob." I winked at him before continuing. "What about _Some Like it Hot_?"

This went on entirely too long before we finally settled on Pride and Prejudice, though I don't know exactly how I got him to agree to that.

"Seriously?" Jasper asked from outside. I looked out the door, startled. I didn't even know there were listening out there. Jasper was lying in the snow as Alice knelt next to him, burying him with snow as normal people buried each other in the sand at the beach. He was covered almost to his chin, but he turned his face toward the house as he shouted, "You should have picked _Gone With the Wind_—at least it's an interesting time period, if I do say so myself."

We debated with him for a few minutes until Alice finished burying him, completely covering his head. It was only a matter of seconds before he jumped to his feet, scattering snow everywhere and started chasing Alice playfully. It was odd seeing him act this way; Jasper was usually very low-key and unexcitable, yet there he was, chasing his wife through the snow and laughing freely.

I turned my attention back to Edward, who was shaking his head and smiling. "You should hear them, too. Their understanding of each other is quiet unique—they complement each other perfectly."

"Rather like us…and Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy," I replied, returning his smile. _Pride and Prejudice_ was one of my favorite books and this was the best film adaptation of the book which we had decided to watch. My enthusiasm was rising to Alice-worthy levels and I began bouncing on the balls of my bare feet. "C'mon, Edward! Let's watch!"

He muttered something along the lines of "too much Alice" and "enigmas," but went to put the first dvd in the player. I rolled my eyes at his comments and sat on the couch, pulling a blanket around me. As the opening title sequence began, Edward joined me, putting his arm around my shoulders. Unconsciously, I leaned my head against the top part of his arm.

The movie was engrossing, to say the least—I'd seen it several times before, but I never tired of it. The characters were true to the book, perfectly cast and the story itself was wonderful. Edward and I made little comments to each other while we watched, often drawing comparisons between the characters and people we knew.

At the first appearance of Miss Bingley, Edward and I, without looking away from the screen, deadpanned, "Jessica." Who else could resemble the mostly false friend who was terribly jealous, pretentious and after the hero for herself? I did like Jessica, she certainly had good qualities; she just wasn't the most trustworthy person I'd ever met.

I sighted when Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth bickered at one of the early dances—it reminded me of the hostility I had felt from Edward the first day I met him. The parallels between Jane Austen's story and my own recent life were both amusing and startling at the same time. I began thinking about the similarities while I watched the movie. This really could be a loose version of us, I thought, in some strange alternate universe, that is. My thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Edward calling out.

"Mike Newton," he spat with disdain, pointing to the character of Mr. Collins. "Completely self-absorbed, clueless, obnoxious and insufferable, the obsequious fool." On the screen, Mr. Collins had set about trying to charm the Bennett sisters, speaking about his manner of complimenting ladies and his own greatness while constantly bowing, leering and being generally annoying.

I couldn't stop myself from laughing. "Tell me what you really think, Edward. I don't think Mike is as bad as Mr. Collins though." Most of the time, I added silently.

"He is a child." At this qualification, I rolled my eyes again.

"Whatever, old man." He chuckled lightly, then went back to berating Mike and Mr. Collins.

We bantered playfully a while longer before going back to the movie. I adjusted my position on the couch so that I was lying on my side, my head resting on Edward's leg. My fingers were absently tracing circles on his knee, while he laid one of his hands on the curve of my waist. It was easy to imagine spending many nights doing exactly this in the future. I didn't think anything could make me happier.

Before I knew it, the movie was nearing the end. Edward leaned forward to look me in the eyes. In a completely serious tone, he asked "Are you going to go all weird on me when Colin Firth jumps in the pond?"

Even before I caught the glint in his eye, I laughed out loud, a short quick laugh. "No, silly. I'll wait till he gets out of the pond." I somehow managed to sound nonchalant and kept a straight face. As Edward processed what I was saying, his eyes widened with shock. I could no longer contain myself and burst into a fit of giggles.

He relaxed a little then, catching on to my joke. I noticed though, that he tensed a little when Mr. Darcy went for a swim, and tensed further when he climbed from the pond.

"Really, Edward," I scoffed. I immediately felt a bit guilty; I'd been teasing him a lot this weekend, something I rarely do. "Relax, I'm not a 'Darcy Party' kind of girl. I prefer a man who would sit with me in a meadow. Besides, you sparkle."

Even Edward had to laugh at that.

We went back to watching the movie, and by the conclusion, I was crying, as I always do. Edward gently wiped the tears from my cheeks with his thumbs. There was a reason this was one of my favorite stories. And now, here I was, a simple, ordinary person, involved in my own version of Jane Austen's masterpiece.

"What, may I ask Miss Swan, are you thinking?" Edward asked as he adopted the diction of the early 19th century.

"I was pondering, no, marveling at how lucky I am," I said, trying to continue the rather formal language. I couldn't keep a smile from tugging at the corners of my mouth.

"Miss Swan, it is I who is the lucky one, to have a woman such as yourself accept me. I am hopelessly enamored with you and…"

He stopped speaking as I held up one hand, palm facing him, in front of me, my other hand against my cheek. "You must stop speaking so, Mr. Cullen, or I will have to quit the room!" We were both getting into this now, fighting smiles as we spoke.

He took both of my hands in his, staring intently and earnestly into my eyes. "I beg your pardon, Miss Swan. I do not mean to offend your sensibilities by speaking so openly. It is difficult for me to remember how new it is to you, to hear such things of my feelings and believe them, when I have been certain of them for so long. I have been accustomed to thinking of you as my intended, even before your acceptance of my hand."

I couldn't take it anymore. I blushed a deep scarlet, feeling the burn from my neck to my hairline. The giggles quickly followed.

"Why, Miss Swan! You seem to have been overcome by hysterics, quite suddenly. Shall I escort you to your room, so you can rest?" He was apparently channeling Alice, because at that moment, I yawned in spite of my giggles.

"Yes, thank you Mr. Cullen, that would be most kind of you," I managed to say.

He needed no further inducement as he swept me off the couch and into his arms in one fluid motion.

"Mr. Cullen!" I said, with mock surprise.

Edward simply grinned as he raced up the stairs.

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A/N: The P&P film referred to is the 1995 version, produced by the BBC. Let me know if you need/want clarification on the whole "Darcy Party" thing…

The ending of this chapter is my first attempt at mimicking Austen's prose, so if it stinks, I beg your forgiveness, dear readers.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: The only thing that's mine is this individual storyline. I still do not own "The Christmas Song," and do not own "Jingle Bells." The new lyrics are the product of my imagination.

A/N: I want to give a very heartfelt "thank you" to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited, or story-alerted this story. It means the world to me! You all are wonderful, encouraging and appreciated so very much. THANK YOU!

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Chapter 9

I didn't want it to be Monday. It's not that I dreaded going back to school—that wouldn't even happen for a couple of days, according to Alice. It was more that I didn't want this long weekend to be over. This weekend had been three of the best days I could have asked for. Even though I missed Charlie, I wasn't really ready to go home.

Alice and Edward were going to drop me off late in the morning so I'd be back and settled before Charlie got home. My things were already packed and were sitting by the door; we were just waiting until we absolutely had to leave. While we sat in the family room with the others, minus Carlisle and Esme, I thought back on all of the things we had done this weekend, from the sledding to the snowball fight which Esme and I had surprisingly dominated, to ice skating yesterday. And how could I not think about the cozy nights I had spent snuggled up with Edward or our 19th century conversations last night?

To my right, I noticed Alice stiffen suddenly. I looked over to see her eyes glaze over slightly as if they were unfocused. The corners of her mouth began twitching as she started to smile.

"Oh! Charlie…" She let her voice trail off. Alarm bells sounded in my mind.

"What was that about Charlie?!" Edward and I asked simultaneously. His voice was full of interest, mine full of panic. All kinds of horrible things ran through my mind, thinking he'd had an accident while he was ice fishing.

"Charlie is going to be rather…accomm—charming when he gets home, that's all," Alice assured me. She winked at Edward.

He raised an eyebrow. "Why are you singing 'The Christmas Song' in Arabic, Alice?" Edward asked, sounding mildly frustrated.

Emmett and I both laughed. Jasper and Edward didn't seem to be too fond of her song choice.

"Oh, do you prefer this version?" She scrunched her eyebrows together in concentration.

"Gah! Not you, too!" At my puzzled expression, Edward turned to me and explained, "She's singing Emmett's version now."

"And though it's been said, many times, many ways," Alice sang aloud.

Emmett grinned and began singing with her, "Bella smells good…Oh, Bella sure smells tasty to him!" Both of them gestured theatrically to Edward, who rolled his eyes.

I had an evil idea. Should I fight it? Alice caught my eye and grinned. I'll never get caught betting against Alice. I cleared my throat.

"Dashing through the snow, on a running vampire's back, up the hill we go, laughing all the way. All our laughter rings, having snowball fights, what fun it is to sled and sing a _slaying_ song tonight. Oh…" After my emphasis on "slaying," Edward's hand clapped over my mouth. The others were howling with laughter.

"Not you, too, love," he groaned. I grinned over his hand and nodded. He sighed as he said, "As much as I hate to break up this little karaoke session sing along, we should probably take you home."

It was my turn to sigh. I hugged everyone goodbye before gathering my duffel bag.

"Thank you all for a great weekend," I said as I moved toward the door, Edward right behind me.

"You know what they say," Emmett began, "the family that sings together, stays together."

******

The ride home was uneventful with the exception of Edward growling every time Alice absently hummed Emmett's song. When we arrived at my house, I was surprised to see that Charlie was already home.

"Is this what you didn't want me to know, Alice?" Edward asked.

"No, why would I hide Charlie's being home?"

While they were talking, I had already unbuckled my seatbelt and was walking up the driveway. I was on the porch before they even got out of the car. The front door opened as soon as I reached for the knob.

"Missed you, kiddo," Charlie said, hugging me awkwardly with one arm.

"Missed you too, Dad."

"You guys coming in or are you going to sit out there and freeze?" Charlie called to Alice and Edward as they began walking up to the house. This was a welcome change, I thought. Sure, Charlie adored Alice, but he was even more suspicious of Edward now that we were engaged. It was almost as if he expected Edward to whisk me away to Vegas at any time.

"When'd you get home, Dad?" I asked as I followed him into the house.

"About an hour or so ago. The radio weather guy was saying something about the roads getting icy and I wanted to make it home before that." He went back to the door to let Edward and Alice inside—Edward had brought my bag with him. "How'd the weekend go?"

I snuck a glance at them before answering. "It was fun—we went sledding and had a snowball fight, then went ice skating on the river."

Charlie eyed me critically. "How many bumps, bruises, scrapes or stitches?"

"Ha ha, Dad."

"She left out the best part, Charlie!" Alice said, sighing dramatically.

Charlie smiled as he turned to her. "What's that?"

"We spent the entire weekend pampering ourselves and relaxing—spa style." Yeah, I thought, if by pampering she means snuggling and winter sports. Charlie laughed.

"Glad you girls enjoyed yourselves. What about you, Edward?" I was proud of Charlie; he'd managed to only slightly cringe as he said Edward's name.

"Other than enjoying the snow, my brothers and I mostly stayed out of their way," he said, earning another chuckle from Charlie.

We had moved to the living room now, settling onto the couch, Charlie sitting in the armchair recliner. The conversation continued, mostly thanks to Alice, who was recounting the events of the weekend with her trademark enthusiasm. Edward and I interjected our commentary only sporadically, earning a glare from Alice every time.

"Who's telling this story?" She asked indignantly.

When she finished, Charlie gave a very short summary of his trip, only after Alice's insistence. He'd had a rather uneventful fishing weekend, catching only two fish. According to him however, ice fishing was more about the experience. I'd settle for taking his word for it.

As Charlie, being uncharacteristically verbose, began regaling us with the joys and high points of ice fishing, Edward put his arm around my shoulders. I looked over to him and smiled before turning back to Charlie, who narrowed his eyes and glared.

Yes, my long, glorious weekend was over—it was time to return to normal.

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A/N 2: That's it for "The Long Weekend," folks! A short, 3 chapter sequel is on the way, along with a brand new story. Thank you again for reading!


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